Managing Admissions, Readmissions, and Discharges

Overview

This guide covers the complete process for managing resident lifecycle events in the Plated system, including admitting new residents, readmitting returning residents, and discharging residents. Proper management of these processes ensures accurate meal planning, allergen tracking, and system integrity.

Understanding Resident Management

What This Function Controls

• Active Resident List: Who receives meals from your facility
• Personal Menu Assignments: Individual dietary needs and preferences
• Allergen Tracking: Critical safety information for meal preparation
• Historical Records: Tracking of past residents for readmission purposes

Resident Status Types

• Current: Active residents receiving meals
• Discharged: Former residents who have left the facility
• Expired: Deceased residents (hidden by default for sensitivity)

Admitting a New Resident

When to Use This Process

• New resident arriving at your facility for the first time
• Resident transferring from another facility (if not previously in your system)
• Any person who will be receiving meals and has never been in your Plated system

Step 1: Access the Admit Function

1. Navigate to the People section in the left-hand navigation
2. Click the "Admit a Person" button in the top right corner

Step 2: Enter General Information

The "Admit a Person" modal appears with a progress indicator showing two steps:

1. General Information (active)
2. Facility & Diet

Complete the following fields:

First Name (Required)

• Enter the resident's first name
• Example: "Marcus"

Last Name (Required)

• Enter the resident's last name
• Example: "Spring"

Birthday (Required)

• Use the date picker to select date of birth
• Format: MM/DD/YYYY
• Example: "01/20/1961"
• Used for age verification and readmission matching

Notes (Optional)

• Add any relevant notes about the admission
• Helpful for tracking admission circumstances or special instructions

Action: Click "Next" to proceed to Facility & Diet setup

Step 3: Configure Facility and Diet Settings

Complete the second step of the admission process:

Production Center (Required)

• Select which production center will prepare this resident's food
• Dropdown shows available production centers
• Example: "Linus Hall Production"
• Important: This determines which heating appliance serves this resident

Lifestyle Diet (Required)

• Select the resident's primary diet type
• Available options:
  • Regular: Standard diet with no restrictions
  • Vegetarian: Plant-based diet
• This determines which menu items are available for the resident

Common Allergies (Required)

• Select from a list of system-managed allergens
• Available options include:
  • Gluten
  • Dairy
  • Eggs
  • Fish
  • Shellfish
  • Tree Nuts
  • Peanuts
  • Soy
  • Wheat
  • And others as available
• If no allergies: Select "No Common Allergies"
• Can select multiple allergies by checking multiple boxes
• Critical: These allergies are automatically managed by the system for menu item filtering

Skip for now Checkbox (Optional)

• Check if you want to skip allergen selection temporarily
• Not recommended: Allergen information is critical for safety

Confirm no Changes Checkbox (Optional)

• Used when readmitting to confirm existing allergy information is still accurate

Other Allergies (Optional - Free Text Field)

• Enter any allergies not covered by the Common Allergies list
• Example: "Other allergies..."
• Important Warning: "These allergies will not work for system matching"
• System cannot automatically filter menu items based on free-text allergies
• Use for informational purposes only
• Staff must manually monitor these allergies during meal service
  

Step 4: Save the New Admission

1. Review all entered information
2. Click "Save" button (bottom right)

What happens:

• New resident is added to the system
• Resident appears in the Current people list
• Status shows as "Active" (green badge)
• Resident is now included in meal planning
• Personal menu is automatically created based on facility's active menu

Verification: Check the Current list to confirm the resident appears with:

• ✓ Correct name
• ✓ Status: Active
• ✓ Correct birthday
• ✓ Correct lifestyle diet
• ✓ Correct allergies listed
• ✓ Assigned to correct production center
  

Readmitting a Returning Resident

When to Use This Process

• Resident previously discharged is returning to your facility
• Former resident coming back after hospitalization
• Seasonal resident returning

Benefits of Readmission vs. New Admission

• Preserves historical data
• Maintains previous dietary preferences
• Links admission/discharge history
• Faster process (pre-filled information)

Step 1: Initiate Readmission

1. Navigate to the People section
2. Click "Admit a Person" button (same as new admission)

What you'll see: The "Admit a Person" modal with General Information fields

Step 2: Enter Resident Information

Begin entering the resident's information:

1. First Name: Enter first name (e.g., "George")
2. Last Name: Enter last name (e.g., "Jetson")
3. Birthday: Enter date of birth (e.g., "12/12/1974")

System Recognition: As you enter this information, the system searches for matching records

Step 3: Select from Returning Resident List

If the system recognizes this person as a previous resident:

What you'll see: A modal titled "Is this a returning person?"

Display Shows:

• Message: "1 matches found"
• Table with matching resident(s):
  • First name
  • Last name
  • Birthday
  • Last Stay date (e.g., "12/06/2025 - 01/10/2026")
  • "Select" button for each match

Available Actions:

1. To Readmit: Click "Select" button next to the correct resident
2. If Not a Match: Click "Back" to modify information
3. Create New Record: Click "Create New Record" if this is actually a different person
   

Step 4: Complete Readmission Information

After selecting the returning resident:

What you'll see: "Readmit Person" screen with pre-populated information

Step 1: General Information (Pre-filled)

• First Name (already filled)
• Last Name (already filled)
• Birthday (already filled)
• Notes: Add new notes about this readmission
  • Example: "Notes about the readmission"
  • Previous notes are preserved in history

Click "Next" to proceed

Step 2: Facility & Diet

Review and update as needed:

Production Center:

• May be pre-filled from last stay
• Verify correct production center
• Update if resident is in a different location

Lifestyle Diet:

• Pre-filled from previous stay
• Verify diet is still appropriate
• Update if dietary needs have changed
• Example: "Vegetarian" (if that was their previous diet)

Common Allergies:

• Pre-filled from previous stay
• Critical: Verify allergies haven't changed
• Example: "Gluten" (if that was their previous allergy)
• Add new allergies if developed since last stay
• Remove allergies if no longer applicable

Step 5: Save the Readmission

1. Review all information
2. Click "Save" button (bottom right)

What happens:

• Resident moves from Discharged list to Current list
• Status changes to "Active"
• Previous history is preserved
• New admission date is recorded
• Resident begins receiving meals immediately

Historical Tracking: The system maintains a record showing:

• Previous stays with dates
• Discharge dates
• Admission dates
• Changes to dietary requirements over time

Managing Resident Personal Menus

Accessing Personal Menu

After admission or readmission:

1. Click on the resident's name in the People list
2. Or click the pencil icon (✏️) at the end of their row

What you'll see: Resident profile page with:

• Header Information:
  • Name (e.g., "George Jetson")
  • Status badge (green "Active")
  • Birthday
  • Production Unit
  • Lifestyle Diet
  • Common Allergies
  • Other Allergies
• Three Tabs:
  • PERSONAL MENU: View and modify individual meals
  • HISTORY: View admission/discharge history (count badge shown)
  • NOTES: View and add notes (count badge shown)
    

Understanding Personal Menu Display

Date Range Selector:

• Shows current week view
• Navigate with arrow buttons (< January 18 - January 24 >)
• Calendar icon for date picker
• Reports dropdown for menu reports
• Download Menu button for printing

Alert Banner (if applicable):

• Pink warning: "Products need attention"
• Message: "Some Menu Items over the next 7 days cannot be served because they contain flagged common allergens. Select Each Menu Item to choose a replacement."
• Indicates menu items conflict with resident's allergies

Menu Grid Layout:

• Rows: Meal periods (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
• Columns: Days of the week (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc.)
• Cells: Menu items with subcategories (Main, Side)

Color Coding:

• Green cells: Regular menu items (no conflicts)
• Pink/Magenta cells: Items flagged for allergen conflicts
• Gray cells: "Left Blank" items (no meal for this slot)
  

Resolving Allergen Conflicts

When a menu item conflicts with a resident's allergies:

What you'll see:

• Pink highlighted cells for conflicting items
• Example: "Macaroni & Cheese" (flagged for Gluten allergy)

Step 1: Select Conflicting Item

1. Click on the pink cell
2. Modal appears: "Select a Menu Item"

Modal Shows:

• Pink banner: "This selected menu item contains a flagged common allergen. Select another item."
• Search bar
• Filter options:
  • Show Ingredients toggle
  • Mashed Potatoes (current selection shown)
  • Sautéed Buttered Carrots (alternative option)
  • Other safe alternatives listed

Step 2: Choose Replacement

1. Browse available alternatives
2. Select a safe menu item that doesn't contain the allergen
3. Or choose "Leave Blank" if no suitable alternative exists

Step 3: Confirm Selection

• Review the selected item
• Replacement populates the cell
• Cell color changes from pink to green
• Alert banner updates or disappears when all conflicts resolved

Repeat for All Pink Cells: Continue until all allergen conflicts are resolved

Adding Notes to Resident Records

When to Add Notes

• Document dietary changes
• Record resident preferences
• Track special instructions
• Note medical dietary requirements
• Document conversations with family or medical staff

Step 1: Access Edit Profile

From the resident's profile page:

1. Click "Edit Profile" button (top right)

What you'll see: "Edit Person" modal with two steps

Step 2: Navigate to Notes

Step 1: General Information

• First Name (pre-filled)
• Last Name (pre-filled)
• Birthday (pre-filled)
• Notes field (editable)

Action:

1. Click in the Notes field
2. Add or modify notes
3. Example: "Add a note for George here. When a new note is added, it replaces the old note."

Important: New notes replace previous notes in this field; they don't append

Step 3: Save the Note

1. Click "Next" (proceeds to Facility & Diet screen)
2. Click "Save" on the Facility & Diet screen
   

Accessing Saved Notes:

1. Open resident profile
2. Click NOTES tab (shows count badge, e.g., "1")
3. View all historical notes with dates
   

Discharging a Resident

When to Discharge

• Resident is leaving the facility
• Transfer to another facility
• Resident has passed away
• End of short-term stay

Important Considerations

• Discharge removes resident from active meal planning
• Historical data is preserved
• Resident can be readmitted later
• Special handling for deceased residents

Step 1: Access Resident Record

1. Navigate to People section
2. From the Current list, either:
   • Click on the resident's name, OR
   • Click the pencil icon (✏️) at the end of their row

What you'll see: Full resident profile page with personal menu displayed

Step 2: Initiate Discharge

From the resident profile page:

1. Click the "Discharge" button (top right, next to Edit Profile)

What you'll see: "Discharge" confirmation modal

Step 3: Confirm Discharge

Modal Display:

• Title: "Discharge"
• Message: "You're about to discharge [Resident Name]"
• Submessage: "Meals will no longer be produced for this resident."
• Checkbox: ☐ Person has expired
• Buttons: "Cancel" and "Discharge"

Decision Point:

For Standard Discharge (transfer, leaving facility):

1. Leave "Person has expired" checkbox unchecked
2. Click "Discharge" button

For Deceased Residents:

1. Check ☑ "Person has expired"
2. Click "Discharge" button

Important Difference:

• Standard discharge: Record moves to Discharged tab, visible by default
• Expired discharge: Record moves to Discharged tab but is hidden by default for sensitivity

Step 4: Verify Discharge

What happens:

• Resident removed from Current list
• Resident appears in Discharged tab
• Status changes from "Active" to discharged
• Personal menu is no longer active
• Meals will not be prepared for this resident
• System stops including resident in meal counts

To View Discharged Residents:

1. Click DISCHARGED tab in People section
2. View list of all discharged residents

To View Expired Residents:

1. Click DISCHARGED tab
2. Toggle "Show expired people" filter
3. Expired residents become visible